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The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth™ Is a Cooperative Game Because They Wanted Them, Because They Were Exciting and Life Was a Bit for One to Five Players

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The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth™ Is a Cooperative Game Because They Wanted Them, Because They Were Exciting and Life Was a Bit for One to Five Players “But I suppose it’s often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that OVERVIEW they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth™ is a cooperative game because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit for one to five players. During a game, a group of heroes embarks dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that’s not the way of it with on perilous adventures, working together to explore and survive the the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem vast and epic fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings™. to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way, Throughout their journeys, heroes battle powerful foes, discover lost as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, treasures, uncover forgotten lore, and customize their skills according only they didn’t. And if they had, we shouldn’t know, because they’d have to their role within their Fellowship. As darkness is rising, unifying evil, been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on – and not all to a good shadow, and corruption, it is the time for the heroes to take a stand and end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call begin their journey in Middle-earth. a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same—like old Mr. Bilbo. But those aren’t always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in!” AN EPIC CAMPAIGN Each game of The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth is one —Samwise Gamgee adventure of a greater campaign. During each adventure, the heroes attempt to complete a series of objectives before they are overwhelmed by the evils of Middle-earth. No matter the outcome of a particular adventure, the heroes and the campaign progress. Eventually, after completing a series of adventures, the campaign will reach a climatic THE STORIES UNTOLD conclusion that ends in success or failure for the entire party of heroes. Each time the players begin an adventure, the Journeys in Middle-earth app fills that adventure with content from a THE APP host of many possibilities. The same adventure can vary in many aspects: the size and layout of the map, the enemies To play The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle- and allies that are encountered, the events that plague the earth, one player must download the free Journeys heroes, and much more. As a result, players can play the same in Middle-earth app on a compatible device. The campaign repeatedly and live a new story each time. app determines the challenges and content that the heroes encounter during the game, from tile and token placement to enemy behavior. The app also allows the heroes to save their campaign, allowing them to complete it over the course of several gaming sessions. To download the app, search for Journeys in Middle-earth on the Amazon™ Appstore, Apple iOS App Store™, Google Play™, or Steam®. USING THIS DOCUMENT The purpose of this document is to teach new players how to play Journeys in Middle-earth. Players must read this Learn To Play in its entirety before playing for the first time. This game includes a Rules Reference, which is a second document that describes detailed rules and exceptions that are omitted from this Learn To Play document. As questions arise during the game, players should consult the Rules Reference instead of the Learn To Play. 2 LIst COMPONENT 31 Plastic Figures (6 Heroes, 25 Enemies) 2 Battle Map Tiles Fire Pit TM Lic. SZC to FFG 22 Journey Map Tiles If you attack while in a space with a fire pit, you may discard a card with from the test to add pierce or smite. Cursed Injury 1 Rules Reference Keep this card faceup. Hidden If you would discard a faceup , flip it facedown instead. Ill Will Each other hero suffers 1: 2 hits 1 facedown . TM Lic. SZC to FFG 2: 3 hits, pierce Then discard this card. 10 Terrain If you are attacked, before you TM Lic. SZC to FFG Cards test, prevent all and discard this boon. When you attack, you may 28 Damage Dagger discard this boon to add 1 . Cards TM Lic. SZC to FFG 28 Fear Cards 25 Pack-Dweller 15 Boon Cards After you strike with this skill, remove it from the adventure. Strike 3 83 Item Cards TM Lic. SZC to FFG Title 3 TM Lic. SZC to FFG TM Lic. SZC to FFG Trailblazer Off Course Before you sprint, gain 1 inspiration. Weakness TM Lic. SZC to FFG Sprint 1 (During your turn, discard to move 1 space.) 21 Title Wanderer After you explore a tile, you or Skill Cards a nearby hero may scout 1. Pathfinder 1 TM Lic. SZC to FFG 20 Weakness Undying Might When you test , you may Skill Cards discard this skill to add 1 . Aragorn 1 72 Role Skill Cards Basic 1 30 Hero Skill Cards 30 Basic Skill Cards 4 Fire Pit/Statue Terrain Tokens Gimli 4 Barrels/Table BACKGROUND TerrainTokens Gimli, son of Glóin, descendant of Durin the Deathless, long burned for adventure beyond his exile-home in Ered Luin. When Glóin joined a company traveling east to reclaim the forfeited Kingdom under the Mountain,Gimli Gimli could not join their number. Now, however, being of a respectable age, Gimli is ready to release his ferocity and expertise uponMight his foes. 4 Like any Dwarf, a passion churns within to deliver retribution on the vile Orcs that dwell in the darkness beneath the earth. One need not travelSUGGESTED below to find START them now, however, and so Gimli waits, restless, for the first call for deliverance from,Role: or “Guardian”war Wisdomagainst, the rising 2darkness. Items: “Battle Axe”Agility and “Ring Mail”2 3 Spirit 4 Fear 4 Wit 2 Damage 6 After you attack, you may place 1 card from the test on top of your deck. 9 Bush/Boulder Dwarf 3 Pit/Mist Terrain Tokens Terrain Tokens 10 Stream/Wall Terrain Tokens 6 Hero Cards 5 Darkness Tokens 8 Person Tokens (4 variations) 21 Depletion Tokens 30 Inspiration/ Exploration Tokens 20 Search/Threat Tokens 12 Enemy Banners and Plastic Stands 3 FIRst CAMPAIGN SETUP To set up their first campaign of Journeys in Middle-earth, players follow the steps presented in this section. 1. Select Campaign and Difficulty: Select the “New Game” button on the app’s title screen. Then, the app will guide the players through a series of screens for selecting a campaign, a 1: 2 hits Increase your limit by 1. Beravor 1: 2 hits Before you suffer facedown , Might 3 difficulty, and a save slot. It is recommended that players select 2: 3 hits, stun you may prevent 1 of that . Wisdom 3 the “Bones of Arnor” campaign and “Normal” difficulty. Agility 3 4 Staff Travel Garb Spirit 3 Fear 5 2. Create Party and Select Heroes: Each player selects a hero in Wit 2 Damage 5 the app, takes their hero’s corresponding figure and hero card, TM Lic. SZC to FFG TM Lic. SZC to FFG Once per round, after you sprint, hide, or strike you may scout 1. and places them in their play area. These heroes will be used for 28 24 Human the duration of the campaign, which spans several adventures. 1: 2 hits 1: 2 hits Beravor’s Starting Items, Figure, and Hero Card If playing single-player, the player chooses two heroes and 2: 3 hits, stun controls both of them. 3. Gather Starting Items: The app assigns starting items for each hero. Each player finds the item cards that match the name and Staff Tier 1 on tier displayed in the app and places them near their hero card. Item Card Players may select different starting items in the app if they wish. TM Lic. SZC to FFG 28 4. Create Damage, Fear, and Weakness Decks: Shuffle the damage cards, fear cards, and weakness skill cards (only weakness skill cards, not other skill cards) into separate decks Damage, Fear, and and place them in the center of the play area where all players Weakness Decks can reach them. 5. Create Supply: Separate the exploration/inspiration, search/ threat, person, and enemy banner tokens as well as the three types of boon cards into separate piles to create the supply. Set aside all map tiles and enemy figures; some of them will be used Tokens in Supply during the adventure. Return the battle map tiles and terrain tokens to the box—they are not used in the first adventure. 6. Begin Campaign: The players input a group name, and then Hidden Emboldened Determined select “Begin” in the app and watch the short cutscene that introduces the story and the heroes’ quest. Boon Cards If you are attacked, before you At the end of your turn, if When you test, you may test, prevent all and discard there are no nearby enemies, discard this boon to discard this boon. discard this boon. any number of cards from When you attack, you may If you suffer or , the test and reveal that discard this boon to add 1 .
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